SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — The Employment Security Department in Washington has secured a $1 million disaster recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to aid workers impacted by December’s severe weather and record flooding.
This initial funding will support dislocated workers in Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom, and Yakima counties, as well as all Tribal nations within these areas and the Samish Indian Nation.
RELATED | WA governor requests federal major disaster declaration, $21.3M in FEMA help after floods
Gov. Bob Ferguson emphasized the importance of federal assistance in the recovery efforts, stating, “Federal assistance is essential to help Washingtonians recover from these historic floods. This funding will help our workers and employers get back on their feet. We will continue to work with federal partners to get relief for Washingtonians.”
The majority of the emergency funds will be distributed among four local workforce development boards: Pacific Mountain, Northwest, Snohomish, and Seattle-King County. The South Central board will be included in a full grant application for up to $10 million, which Employment Security plans to submit within 60 business days.
Employment Security Commissioner Cami Feek highlighted the significance of the grant, noting, “These emergency funds will allow the severely affected areas in our state a chance to start the recovery process for workers and employers. The widespread flooding and landslides far exceed the response capacity of the local workforce boards. We’re thankful for this initial emergency funding.”
The funds will be allocated to create temporary jobs for community preparedness and recovery, provide reemployment services, and deliver training and support services to help workers secure meaningful employment opportunities. This grant is in addition to the $21.3 million in federal major disaster assistance requested by Gov. Ferguson last week.